The Beast
by nimueaeon
Summary: Adriana always wanted some adventure in her life so when she falls into a lake and ends up somehow in the past,she decides to take her chance.The castle she falls into is infamous for the recluse on death's peak.But saves her from a cruel death.
1. Chapter 1

**Dear readers. I hope you like my story. Please read and if you find any errors or have anything to say please review. I am trying to build up my characters so please tell me what you think. **

Italy, right now

The early spring heat in Italy was making her sweat. Adriana could feel it slowly trickling down her spine and soaking into her shorts. Air was fanning into her face with a piece of cardboard she had picked up after touring a museum. She had sadly come alone on this trip to try and connect with herself but its been quite boring. She would be spending the rest of her summer in a small town by the ocean close to Greece.

She thought of her home and how empty is was now that he was gone. Adriana could remember his face clearly, even her parents faces. Her deceitful mother and how she looked on that day. That fateful day, she could never forget. Her father she had missed for a long time after his demise. She was glad to get back into school this coming fall, that was why she was taking this trip. She wanted to come to peace with herself, to forgive herself for what happened back home.

The day rattled on including consistent talking with the sound of the bus in the background. As the bus finally stopped Adriana sighed in relief to finally get some fresh air. She looked around the community of buildings and felt like she fell into a story book. The village was quaint it had one grocery store, a drug store and a few tourist shops. There were probably ten streets and then there were scattered houses across the countryside. In the lone distance she could see a deserted castle along some cliffs.

The castle caught her eyes the most. It sat lonely at the edge of the cliffs, the waves crashed furiously against the rocks. She loved the sculptures along the top balconies and the towers. They stabbed wearily into the light blue sky, protecting the small town. She couldn't believe she was in Italy and how beautiful it really was.

She smiled, _perfect scenery for my paintings_. She decided to walk to the cottage she was renting for the summer. She didn't have many bags because she had her canvases and painting supplies shipped ahead of time. She took the directions she got at the bakery. The pastry she had gotten there was warm and sweet. It made her jaw clench deliciously.

The petite house that sat on the hill was cute with a white picket fence around it's borders. The terra gotta walls were covered in flowery vines. Roses were bushed out everywhere and herbs were filed in rows along the east wall. She hurried her pace to reach this house that dreams were made of. The anticipation that filled her to the brim had her wanting to know how the inside looked.

Adriana's hand grasped the brass knob tightly the key turning quickly to open the lock. The threshold beckoned her as she stared intently at the opening. She walked in and was impressed at it's simplicity but also it's sophistication. She settled in her room and put away her supplies so she could finally have a cup of tea. This is exactly where she was suppose to be.

Thirty cups of tea, five canvases, and five days later she sat at the edge of a lake close to the castle. She painted intently the picture in front of her. The beautiful landscape and the castle looming direly in the corner. She couldn't resist. It called to her silently, wanting something but not knowing what it was.

Did something just move over in the water? She stopped painting and held her breath. The wind swirled around her making her hair flap in her face and the sky darkened. She picked up her painting and set it on the ground face up. The easel fell over from the angry air that gushed through the trees. Adriana inched slowly towards the edge of the lake looking in the water. A dark head popped up making her jump back from the water hole. The womans arm shot out and grabbed her.

"You will take my place," she shrieked as she pulled Adriana into the water.

She swam to the surface and took a breath but it was short lived as she was pulled back underwater. It twisted dangerously and pulled her into a vortex that she couldn't escape. She fought the current but it was too strong. Colors flashed in her face and music played in her head. She thought that she was drowning. How was she going to get out of this? But then she was going up towards the light.

She gulped for air as her face hit the surface. She was disoriented from deprivation of sweet air and her vision was foggy around the edges. She was baffled because where she fell in the water was not where she fell out of the water. She was sitting in the middle of a large fountain. Monster faces stared down at her some had fountains of water flowing out of their mouths. She shuddered feeling as if they were alive with their glaring eyes. The water was clear and it sparkled in the sunlight but did not take away the eerie feeling of the castle. It looked frightful even in broad daylight.

She stood up and saw all the people running in the distance. She looked around and had a

feeling that they were looking for somebody. She didn't want it to be her. She waded across the fountain and pulled herself out. Her clothes were heavy and she couldn't walk very well. A man came up behind her and captured her in his grip.

"I got her!" he yelled with his fist up.

Adriana tried to pull away but he held her too tight, "Get off of me you bastard. How dare you?"

He pointed in her face, "Your a WITCH! You don't deserve to live. All you did was change forms."

"I have no clue what your talking about."

"Grab her!" "Tie her up," "Let's burn her." they all yelled.

Oh god. She knew what happened during the Salem witch trials. This was going to be worse because she would be in it. She twisted in the mans arms and started to cry. She didn't want to be burned at the stake. This must be how all those women felt before they were tortured.

As they pulled her down to the ground a man walked up. He was wearing black slack like pants with a black tunic and was the only one in the crowd that had shoes. She noticed this because she was looking at the ground. A large silver cross dangled from his bony white neck. When she looked up, his cold brown eyes were looking upon her with disgust. She knew he would not give mercy or even hear her pleas. She stayed silent. Provoking him would not help her.

He told her to stand up and she did it without question. Then he slapped her hard across the face. "Did you think you could get away witch?"

Adriana said nothing barely flinching from the blow and it enraged him even more, "Answer me WITCH!"

She sighed, "If I answer you it will only anger you more."

He hit her again, "Don't get smart. Women are not smart."

"I've probably been to school more than you. You ignorant fool." she yelled at his idiocy.

His face turned red as an apple , and he threw her to the ground, "I will show you ignorant."

He started ripping through her clothes but she didn't go down peacefully. She just wasn't raised that way. She fought with her nails and fists but finally started kicking. "It's people like you that make the church look bad."

**Hope you liked it. Will try to post ** **another chapter later. don't forget to Review. You know you want to.**

**Nimue**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi well here is the second chapter and I am pretty happy about this one. I hope everyone likes it and let me know what you think. Seriously. I doesn't take long to say, "It sucks." or "It's okay." So give it a try. **

A voice boomed above her. She couldn't see where it came from but she was glad it came. The male voice demanded, " Leave my property. How dare you do this in front of my castle."

The brown eyed man's attitude changed, "I'm sorry my lord. I will take this elsewhere."

"No! The girl stays. You will not touch her again," the voice sounded like a growl.

People cowered around her. She stood up as they walked slowly down the hill. The sound of her heavy sigh was the only thing that permeated the silence. The front door of the castle squeaked open. It beckoned her inside so she didn't hesitate. She looked back as she reached the portal and the cold brown eyed man stared daggers into her back. She could tell his mind was working on a way to get to her. She hadn't seen the last of him.

The doors were slapped shut behind her and inside was quiet. Shadows played along the walls from the few torches that were lit along the corridor. Nothing sat in the hall other than a large grandfather clock. The emptiness was making it feel dead inside this large building.

Adriana took a few steps forward into this cavernous grand hall and heard a coughing sound. She paused before taking a glance behind her. She sensed something watching her from behind but she couldn't see anything other than that large clock. She stepped back over to the face of the clock. The numbers were embellished with gold and silver. Mahogany wood encased the delicately intricate clock mechanisms. She placed her fingers along the wood and stroked the glossy surface. A sound ruptured from the clock. It wasn't time for it to chime because it was only 4:30. She looked closer and realized the clock seemed to appear to have a face. She was face to face with it now making the glass fog up from her breath.

"Ah... Ah... Chooo," its eyes shot open and its nose seemed to wiggle from the sneeze.

She wiped off her face and plastered herself against the front door.

"Oh my god. You just sneezed. Clocks do not sneeze."

"Well hello,bambina. How are you on this afternoon? Sorry about my sneeze, I couldn't hold it any longer." it said.

Her jaw dropped, "And you talk!"

"Why, yes I do." he said and started kissing her hand, "Muah, Muah, you have the softest hands."

She contorted her face, "How?"

"It's a long story. My name is Alfonzo." he stated as he turned around, "If you follow me I will show you your room."

"No, No , No," a voice somewhere said, "The master will not be happy. He will want her to stay as a servant."

He sounded like he choked, "I will not dare treat a woman like that. She is high class just look at her." She watched dazed through their whole conversation because she was so amazed that they were even doing these things. This was mickey mouse shit.

"I will get the master he will know where to put her. Just wait here," the voice came from a small bookcase that started walking up the stairs.

" That was Marino. He is a pain sometimes so forgive him. We will go wait in the sitting room. The master will fetch you there." Alfonzo said as he led her to a door down the hall. She felt quite dazed as she followed this moving, talking object down the hall.

The door opened on it's own accord and he moved awkwardly through the doorway. Her eyes were wide as she gawked at this procession. She sat down on a large stuffed chair and sighed, "I'm so confused right now. How are you talking, and moving? I can't believe this. I must be dreaming or I drowned."

A tray rushed in next to her arm and poured itself into tea cups. "How do you like your tea?" a voice asked from the silver tray.

"Um, two lumps of sugar and a little milk," Adriana answered unaware that the tea pot had asked her this simple question.

She only got to drink two sips from the cup before someone burst into the room. Adriana glanced around the chair and saw something that she would classify as a teddy bear. Big, scary and harmless. He walked on all four paws that held large claws. His fur was dirty blonde and he had a mane that surrounded his head. Large teeth could be seen in his mouth when he spoke. His back was hunched from his four legged stance but his body was muscular and powerful. But his eyes were light green with yellow and black specks around the iris giving him his intelligence.

"Hello," she said as she stood up, at the same time putting the tea cup down, "I am Adriana. Thank you for saving me," Adriana walked over to him and held out her hand completely unaware she was the person doing this. It was as if

The beast stood up on his back legs and was about seven feet tall, she looked up and cocked her head. He did it to intimidate her, but she had seen horror movies worst than this. She wasn't afraid because she knew that appearances can be deceiving. He gaged her expression and took her hand into his. He pulled his paw away, growling as he hunched back down facing away from her, "Your welcome. Follow me."

She obeyed and followed him down the hallway. They reached a set of stairs that led up somewhere and he turned those emerald eyes upon her, "Don't ever go up the north tower. Never."

"Alright. I heard you the first time thank you." he growled and turned back around but she only held her hands up in surrender. He continued through the castle showing her where main parts of the home were such as the kitchens, the servants quarters, and the wash room. She thought more and more about the north tower and became very curious. And everyone knows what killed the cat.

"So," she said softly, "What's in the north tower?" she hit herself in the head self consciously and wished she hadn't said anything.

His eyes bulged, "There is nothing there that concerns you. I saved you and so you owe me. You will work here till your debt is through, when you are done you can choose to leave or stay. And it will all be by my rules do you hear me."

"Yes sir."

He grabbed her hand and walked swiftly down the halls to a room with a small bed in the center with four poster wood railing. It was decently decorated and was probably meant for a high staffed position. It had a large dresser, much more opulent for a servant, sitting across from the bed. When she went to grab at the door knob the door flew open making her fall onto the bed.

"Oh god does everyone have to scare me half to death. I can't tell you know." Adriana whispered.

"I'm sorry miss. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm not use to another human around other than us charmed," a female voice sounded young and sweet.

A knock sounded on the door a few minutes later as she was settling in and she told them to enter. The bookcase from earlier, Marino, waddled in, "Miss Adriana, the master asks if you will come down to dinner tonight?"

He stood with his form in a kind of bow and she answered quietly afraid to be heard, "I am a little intimidated by the- uh is he a man?"

"Well yes he was."

"What is his name?" Adriana couldn't resist knowing.

"Alessandro."

She thought about it some more, "I don't know. I think I might need some time. Do you think you could come back later after I think about it?"

"The master said it was, what was that word, Oh now I remember, not optional."

"Well then why are you asking?" she said with a large sigh.

Marino seemed to be thinking, "That was a good question, I don't know why I asked. Well please be dressed by eight o'clock." He left the room and closed the door.

She flopped onto the bed and let out a breath she had been holding. How is she going to spend dinner with a man that looked like a beast. It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't act like one too. She looked at the dresser, "Has he always been like this?"

"His looks or his attitude?" she questioned.

"His attitude." Adriana said.

"Somewhat. Before he always was a selfish man but after his change he just hates himself more or less. He knows now how he was but is now plagued by his appearance and always being alone," the dresser moved around the room to look in the mirror.

"So," Adriana stood beside the mirror and smiled, "What is your name?"

"Filomena."

"I'm Adriana. Nice to meet you."

The dresser drawers opened, "What color would you like to wear?"

"I guess," she thought to herself, "Red. It happens to be my favorite color."

"Are you ready to put on this fetching dress?" Filomena mentioned quietly as she studied it up and down.

"Why don't I wait until after seven. Then I can take a nap while I wait till dinner and I won't get that beautiful dress wrinkled." she argued and sat back down on the bed.

The dresser backed up into her spot in the room, "I will wake you when it is time, my dear.

When Adriana woke up she sat up not really thinking about where she was. She threw up the coverlet and pushed her feet over the side of the bed. She couldn't possibly be at the cottage because the room was simply too large. Then she remembered the man who was not a man but a beast and stood up. Filomena helped her dress into a dress that was completely more extravagant than what she was use to.

She wouldn't let her do anything with her hair because it never looked good up. Especially the short bob that she had. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Fear gripped at her insides as she waited for someone to bring her to the man she was to have dinner with. Filomena sighed behind her and when she turned around to look at her there was a young woman.

"Who are you?" she asked the woman standing in the room.

She smiled, "I'm Filomena."

"No, Filomena was a dresser."

"Well now I'm human."

"I can't believe it. What happened to you." Adriana asked as she paced around the room.

"We are only objects during the day. At night we are human again," Filomena said as she checked her appearance in the mirror hanging on the wall.

A knock sounded throughout the room and made her jump. Filomena walked out into the hallway with her and started heading somewhere that she couldn't name. A short stout man stood before her. He had a long mustache and his eyes were a dark chocolate brown.

"Why hello there," he said twisting his mustache, "As you can see I am different after dark. I am the one called Marino. If you will follow me I will show you to the dining room."

He was exactly how she had pictured him before. She would have thought that he would have been clean shaven for being so uptight. She was wrong. Her footsteps were light on the stone floors and she had to hold her breath when she saw the gigantic dining room. The chandeliers hung at two equal sides of the room and were lighting the room with ambience. She felt like she had fell into a fairy tale.

No one was sitting at the table yet. She searched the room as she sat down at the large over sized oak table. It held over thirty seats and was at least fifteen feet long. There were two seats set with silver ware and plates. They were on completely different sides of the room. How were they suppose to have a conversation from this far. She moved her plates to where the other plates were set on the table and situated herself.

She waited and waited until she got up and started pacing the floors. Where was he? How could he invite her and then ditch her the first night. This was mortifying. A tall gangly man walked through the doors and bowed, "Miss Adriana, the master will be here shortly."

"Don't you think he is kinda late? I mean how could he invite me for dinner and then he is the one who is late. Who does he think he is?" she ranted and rattled on.

The tall blonde man sputtered, "I-He- uh... I'm sorry?"

She balled her hands into fists, "Your sorry. He should be the one who is sorry. Leaving a girl like me all alone like this."

"Alfonzo, It's alright. You may go," a mans voice sounded from the hall, he smiled softly but it never reached his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I had to clean up. I haven't had a guest in fifty years," the man said from behind Alfonzo.

Her mouth dropped as she looked at this beautiful creation. She had seen men before but never looking like him. He was wearing a dark green suit that had gold embellishments down the front and on the sleeves. His shoulders were large but not overly so and his waist was slim but muscular. He had lion hair a reddish shade of blonde that looked like gold in the light. She couldn't believe that he was living here with the beast. Then it hit her as she looked into his emerald green eyes flecked with gold, he was the beast.

By day a beast and by night a man, a beautifully divine man. By the time he had walked over to her form and pulled out the chair did she fall out of her stupor. She sat down once again at the chair that was next to his and crossed her hands under the table. He seated himself and looked down at her face.

"My name is Alessandro. What do I call you?" he said as a smile played on his lips.

"Um, Adriana," she answered timidly.

He clapped his hands together and servants poured in through a set of doors at the far wall. They carried trays upon trays of food from cannoli to spaghetti. She couldn't believe they would need this much food to just feed her and him. Once again she was speechless as she stared at the mountains of food.

"I'm not this hungry," Adriana said before turning back to face Alessandro.

He chuckled, "Just eat what you want and the rest will be used accordingly."

After the last servants left she felt her stomach growl hollowly. She filled her plate up to the brim and sat back down next to this strange man. He did not eat and it made her feel conscious of her own eating habits. She ignored him after she got her first bite. It was a spinach and three cheese cannoli that made her mouth water thinking about it. She dived into the food not thinking of her host and finally after some heavy eating did she look up.

Alessandro stared at her his eyebrows raised. Her mouth was filled with food and it made her cheeks look like a chipmunk's face. She offered a piece of meat towards him and said quietly after chewing up her food hastily, "Your not hungry? Don't you want to eat all this good food?"

He shrugged, "I'm not that hungry. I just want to watch your satisfaction."

"Oh come on. Look at you. You are thin and you need to eat," she protested.

He tilted one side of his mouth, "Only if you feed me."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Yeah right. You have arms for a reason. They don't look like their broken," she poked at his arms.

He pulled his arms away, "No my arms work accordingly."

"Well good then," she said and took his plate to fill it up with food, "Now eat."

He narrowed his eyes, "I'm not a child. If I'm hungry then I fix my own food."

Her eyebrows shot up, "I thank you and all from saving me from a horrible death but as you said before you haven't had a guest in 50 years, and you wonder why. Maybe, if you stop acting like a child then no one would have to treat you like one."

He had taken a drink through her speech and spit it all out at the ending sentence. It made Adriana laugh uncontrollably because she hadn't expected him to be so surprised by her comments.

"Well, I never-" he sputtered, "How dare you talk to me that way. I'm older than you by many years and you dare say that I am acting like a child."

Adriana on the other hand was holding her side slouched down in her chair, "Just because your older by numbers has no meaning on how old you are. I knew a 16 year old who acted more mature than you. At least he could hold his temper."

He held his tongue and started eating the food that sat on the plate. He didn't want to scare her on her first night. He ate it all, as much as he could hold. He was so full that he didn't even think he could move. He stood up and asked her if she wanted to walk through the gardens. She agreed and followed him out onto the terrace that led downstairs into the main gardens.

"So you change at night and by day you are a beast," she merrily stated a fact and saw something cross his face. Maybe he was hurt or upset, she couldn't tell.

"Yes, I am a beast," he said quietly.

"I did not mean to hurt you. I was just trying to sort things out. I have never seen something like this," she said as she gestured to his castle

He shrinked away from her touch, "What? Never seen a monster? Well I am a monster and nothing is going to change that."

**I had a lot of trouble figuring out if I wanted to have him change from a beast to a human at night. I wasn't really sure how I liked it. So he changes. Well enjoy.**

**Nimue**


End file.
